I got you
by BadGateway
Summary: Harry is a PhD student who suffers from Multiple sclerosis. On a road trip with his friends he meets Draco and Ron.
1. Chapter 1

"You have something to drink for me in the back?"

Martin had turned in the passenger seat.

"Yes, sure, here you go"

Harry handed him the 4 liter plastic bottle they had bought earlier that day. It was nearly empty after 6 hours on the road. Thomas waved from the driver's seat to gain his attention.

"The Canadian border is now a couple of miles ahead. We should arrive at our hostel in one hour. You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Driving is good so far?" Harry replied.

Thomas gave him a thumb up and a smile in the rear mirror. The three PhD students were on a road trip up the east coast of the USA, starting after a conference they had attended a few days before. Harry looked out of the window. Green lawns and white cottages drifted past and occasionally he caught a glimpse of the ocean, dark blue in the dwindling evening light.

Suddenly Thomas braked and drove to the side of the road.

"What is it?" Harry asked, craning his neck to see up front.

Thomas turned back to him. "There is a hitchhiker by the road. You mind company back there for some of the rest of our ride today?"

Harry shrugged. "That's Ok with me", he answered. He saw Martin drawing down the window and speaking to a young guy their age with platin blonde hair. After a few moments the electric doors of the van opened, revealing the hitchhiker who hoisted a gigantic rucksack in the back behind the first row of seats and hopped on board besides Harry.

"Hi, I am Draco Malfoy", the man greeted him, extending a hand.

Harry shook it, smiling politely into the grey eyes that pierced him from under a blond curl.

"Harry"

Draco grinned widely in return, flashing white teeth in his face tanned by the summer sun.

"Hey guys, thank you for having me, really. I have been standing at this corner for two hours now and already given up to get a lift today. It's great!"

"We are only going as far as the border", Thomas informed him.

"Yes, that's fine for me. Martin here told me you were staying at the Inn at the Wharf. I am going to stay there, too, as long as they still have rooms available. Sounds perfect!" Draco bounced up and down on his seat. "So… what are you guys doing? Holidays?"

The usual explanation about the conference and there prolonged stay for a week of holidays followed, Thomas and Martin sharing most part of the conversation, Harry staying mostly out of it, being kind of tired.

"So, you are some computer guys, aren't you? Well, that's nothing for me, really. I prefer being outside, feeling the sun on my skin. Nothing keeps me in front of a machine. I am more of a practical person. I work as skiing teacher during the winter and do basically everything in the summer: painting, mowing, repair work… it pays, if not much. But what is money if you are free to do what you want to, right?"

"Sounds pretty awesome", Martin said and Thomas nodded.

Draco turned to Harry. "So, Harry, you content with this computer stuff? Never felt the need to do something else, be your own boss, just hit the road whenever you want? I bet you could get some good money out of some hard physical work, judging from these muscles, mate". He laughed loud and playfully bumped a fist into Harry's upper arm.

Harry frowned and sighed but did not feel up to explain. "Yeah, I am pretty happy with it, thanks", he answered, turning to watch a few houses pass, glowing orange in the setting sun.

The conversation went on like that but Harry listened only with half an ear and Draco did not address him anymore, seeming to understand that he wanted to be left alone.

At last Thomas steered the van in the parking lot in front of a white one storey house at the seaside.

"Well, you guys know that this is the handicapped parking lot, right?" Draco asked, grinning. "You might wanna park somewhere else, people get kind of funny with this kind of thing around here. Yeah, well, maybe these handicapped people never show up but still-"

"It's OK", Thomas replied, turning off the engine and stepping out of the car.

Draco shrugged and turned to Harry, shaking his head mildly. His grin however froze as his eyes turned to the pair of crutches Harry had collected from behind his seat.

Harry ignored him and pressed the button at the side of the doors that made them open automatically. As the door slid open he leaned forward and placed the crutches at the floor outside, leaning them against the doorframe. He raised the left arm rest and grabbed the handle at the ceiling with his right hand, pulling himself closer to the open door. When he reached for his legs to turn them towards the doors manually, he felt Draco's eyes in his back. He turned around and the other man hurriedly closed his mouth that had been shaping a surprised o and finally looked away. Harry rolled his eyes and presumed the tedious task of getting his body out of the van. When he had his legs placed appropriately and pulled himself at the edge of the seat he took one of the crutches in his left hand and grabbed the handle at the door with his right. Slowly he let himself slide out of the car, only stopping shortly when the crutch connected with the ground to make sure it was placed safely before putting more weight on it and placing his feet on the gravel.

Thomas handed him the other crutch as he passed bye with his luggage and Harry gave a grunt as a thanks, shifted his weight to release his grip on the car handle. Thus propped up on two crutches he made his way around the car towards the narrow walkway leading to the dimly lit entrance of the hostel. His legs were stiff after sitting in the car for such a long time and every step sent little jolts of pain up his lower body. His feet dragged on the ground and he frowned in concentration when he placed his crutches on the uneven ground.

"You want your chair, Harry?" Martin asked from behind, walking around the car on the other side, managing the task of pulling both their luggage with his left hand and pushing Harry's wheelchair with his right at the same time.

"No, I'm Ok", Harry answered although his legs screamed the opposite at him.

Draco had finally got his wits together, managed to get his rucksack from behind the back seat and was now standing beside Martin. Harry resumed his painful walk down to the entrance of the hotel, very well aware of one pair of grey eyes following his ungraceful steps.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry was cutting tomatoes sitting in his wheelchair at the table while Martin and Thomas were in the hostel kitchen, trying to figure out how the oven worked. Although he preferred walking around on his crutches, inside a house it was much easier to navigate with the wheelchair. He looked up when a pair of cucumbers were thrown on the table top before him.

"Mind if I join you?" Draco asked, suddenly seeming timid, his eyes flipping from Harry to the wheelchair back and forth.

Harry shrugged and went to arranging the tomatoes on already cut pieces of bread. Draco pulled out a chair and sat down at the other side of the table.

"Look, Harry, I am sorry for what I said before", Draco began. Harry looked up again at the blonde, who was now playing around with the vegetable before meeting his eyes. This time he did not look away. "It must have sound really insensitive with you… well…"

"With me what?" Harry asked, lowering the knife with which he had started to cut slices from cheese. He was tired and had no intention to make this easy for the blonde man.

"Well, you know… what I said about hitting the road whenever you want and working and stuff… that's-"

"I can drive. And I actually do work, you know", Harry hissed, his hand starting to tremble with suppressed anger.

Draco looked shocked and shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that. It came out all wrong. All I wanted to say is sorry. For being a self-centered dick."

Harry laughed out before he could stop himself. "Yeah, well… you actually were a dick", he said, but he smiled. Draco grinned back at him relieved. Harry indicated to the cucumbers on the table. "You wanna trade your vegetables against some cheese and tomato bread grilled in the oven?"

Draco beamed. "That'd be great, mate. Shall I-"

"No thanks, I got that", Harry said, placing the tray of bread with tomate and cheese on his lap and, turning the wheelchair around, wheeled himself into the kitchen.

Dinner together with his two companions and Draco turned out to be quiet enjoyable. Draco knew a lot of funny stories and liked telling them at length, turning bottles and salt shakers into characters of the plot. Harry studied his face, how it changed when the emotions washed over them, alternating between sorrow and anger to joy in seconds, small lines around his eyes crinkling when he laughed.

After eating, Thomas and Martin volunteered to wash the dishes in the kitchen and Draco and Harry found themselves alone in the sitting room once more.

"Hey, you mind sitting over there?" Harry asked, nodding towards the group of plush sofa and armchairs at the window facing the sea. Draco shrugged and they moved over. Draco let himself fall into one of the armchairs and Harry navigated his wheelchair alongside one of the sofas.

"I have been sitting for too long. I really need to stretch out a bit", Harry explained while he put on the brakes on the wheels. He put down his legs from the feet rest of the wheelchair and leaned forward towards the sofa. Fortunately it was less soft than he had anticipated. He pulled himself out of the wheelchair, supported by his arms as much as his legs and turned, letting himself plop down on the sofa. Draco stared at him but caught himself quickly.

"Wow, that was impressing", he said.

"Yeah, I am awfully proud of myself, not falling down all the time I am doing this. That'd be pretty annoying", Harry said. There was a moment of silence when Draco stared at him before they both broke out in laughter.

"I am sorry", Harry chuckled and pulled his legs on the sofa by his trousers, straightening them.

Draco just shook his head, mopping tears from his eyes. When he had himself under control again, he eyed Harry from his armchair.

"What is it that you have, actually?" he asked, sitting up straighter. "I mean… is it a spinal cord injury or something… If you don't mind me asking", he added hastily.

Harry turned a little, facing Draco. "No, it is not a spinal cord injury and no, I don't mind you asking. I have Multiple Sclerosis." Seeing Draco's shocked face he continued: "But it is not mortal, contrary to what most people believe and it will probably not get any worse".

"Probably?" Draco asked.

"Well, yes, you never know. It usually only affects my legs but on bad days it can be my arms and hands, too. Normally not, though".

Draco nodded, trying to regain a straight face. At that point Thomas and Martin came back from the kitchen and settled down on the other armchairs.

"You two up for a game?" Thomas asked.

They went to bed rather late that night.


	3. Chapter 3

When Harry wheeled into the common kitchen the next morning he was not surprised to see it deserted. He normally woke up quiet early, often being raised by leg cramps. He picked up a muffin and filled a glass of water at the tap when he heard a door open.

"Hey, you should come outside, it's beautiful"

"Draco!" Harry turned his wheelchair. Draco was peeking in from the door leading to a balcony Harry had not noticed before.

"The sun just came up and… you should really see for yourself", Draco grinned.

"Yeah, cool, let me just…" Harry shifted in his chair and reached into his pocket where he had placed a small plastic bottle earlier. He shook out the pills in his palm, put them in his mouth and washed them down with the water from his glass.

"Woah, that were not just like eight-hundred pills or so, right?" Draco laughed a little nervous.

Harry grinned back and tried to flatten his hair a bit. Why did it have to be so unruly especially after showering? "More exactly eight", he answered with a shrug.

"Still… wow. Hey, wanna come out? I get you a coffee-"

"No, thanks", Harry said. When Draco raised his eyebrows he added: "Doesn't go well with the pills, you know…"

Draco nodded. "Of course. Sorry"

Harry just grinned at him as he wheeled towards the balcony. He could see a stripe of milky blue sky outside and hear the screaming of seagulls through the open door. When he arrived in front of a beaming Draco his heart sank, however.

"Hey, that actually seems to be lovely, but… uh… I'm afraid the door is not wide enough for the chair."

He could see disappointment draining Draco's eyes of all the color but then they lightened up again.

"Yeah, hey, what about your crutches? I could get them from your room if you want"

Harry shook his head.

"I think Thomas took them back yesterday night and put them in his room. He is still asleep, I don't want to wake him."

Draco put his hands in his pockets.

"Oh… Ok. Doesn't matter, I will join you for breakfast inside-", he started, but Harry interrupted him, suddenly having an idea.

"Actually… you know what? My PT will be absolutely delighted if I actually once follow her advice. Can you hold out you arms like this?" he asked, wheeled closer to Draco until he was right in front of him and put on the brakes on the wheels.

"Er… like that?" Draco asked, brows drawn in confusion and hold out his arms, slightly bent in the elbow before him, palms facing upwards.

"Perfect", Harry said and put his feet from the foot rests, helping along the left one with his hands. He quickly bent down and folded the foot rests up.

"So… you are pretty strong, right?" he jested as he turned back to Draco, referring to the talk the other man had given him in the car the other day.

Draco blushed a little but before he could answer Harry put his hands on his forearm and he closed his mouth again, surprised. Harry grinned.

"Close your fingers around my forearms" he ordered.

Draco looked into his eyes, understanding dawning.

"You sure?" he said but nevertheless did what Harry had asked from him.

"Ok, on the count of three? One, two, three!"

Harry experimentally leaned forward and when he felt Draco tense and reinforce the grip around his arms, he pushed himself upright using what strength remained in his legs and Draco's assistance. Triumphantly he shook his hair out of his eyes when he was standing in front of the other man, swaying slightly.

"You're not gonna lessen your grip on me, Ok?" He asked, grinning but nevertheless meaning what he said.

Draco shook his head. His face seemed slightly paler than before.

"No, 'course not. I got you", he whispered, his wide grey eyes locked into Harry's.

"Great. So, standing is pretty good, right? Let's see how walking works", Harry said. He felt farely safe leaning on Draco's arms. The other man could indeed not deny the mostly physical work he did during summertime. Harry felt pretty damn defined muscles under his hands.

Draco swallowed and reinforced his grip on Harry's forearm even more. When nothing happened for some seconds and the two remained standing on the spot, Harry started to giggle.

"Er… I'm afraid you need to move first. I... uh… kind of need the momentum", he explained.

Draco nodded again then turned slightly to look at the floor behind him before making one step back. Harry followed Draco's left foot quickly with his right. Draco made another step and Harry pulled his left foot along, dragging it slightly over the floor. He had to look down and make sure it was placed right before he was ready to put weight on it. His left leg tingled and the head movement made him dizzy for a few seconds. Draco turned out to be very mindful, however, and waited for Harry to get ready and shift his weight before making another step.

"You are doing good", Harry encouraged him. In fact, Draco was moving more carefully than his physical therapist, creating less momentum for Harry and thus making it a little harder for him. Still, he felt he actually enjoyed this kind of exercise.

Draco cracked a smile at him before his face crinkled again in concentration. Small beads of sweat were beginning to form on his forehead.

"Mind the step", Harry warned when they had reached the small door leading to the balcony. There was a small ridge where the floors of the inside of the house and the balcony floor met.

Harry needed a few tries before he managed to lift his feet high enough to overcome the step.

"Yeah, I'm a pro at walking. Just steps are not my field of expertise", he jested. Draco chuckled.

"Can you… uh… turn a little and let me down? Slowly?" Harry asked when they had reached one of the wooden deck chairs facing the ocean.

Draco did as Harry had told him, letting him down carefully and waited until Harry signaled him that it was safe to loosen his dead grip on him.

"Sorry mate, I might have accidentally crashed your arms", Draco apologized, mopping the sweat from his face with his sleeve and plopping into a deck chair to Harry's right.

Harry grinned, scooted back into a more comfortable position and pulled his legs on the chair.

"Doesn't matter, it's not as if I need them." He laughed. Harry inhaled the salty air from the sea and took in the stunning view through the glass balustrade, leaning back in the chair. "Wow, it's great", he whispered.

The sun was already up by now but the morning light was still weak. The sky was cloudy and the sea seemed nearly black. The astonishing thing however was the mists that hang over the water and just by now started to fade out at the fringes near the shore. Dark shapes were visible behind the wavering white mass, islands and ships in the water before them. The air smelled fresh and slightly cool, lacking the heat from the days before.

The two men had relaxed on the balcony for approximately an hour, watching the mist retreat in mutual silence when a door at the other side of the balcony opened and a young woman with bushy brown hair emerged, holding a pink mat under one arm.

"Are you interested in yoga courses, guys?" she called, grinning at them broadly.

Harry shook his head amused and smiled at her whereas Draco just lifted an eyebrow.

"No, thanks"

The woman nodded and turned to go, still grinning when a man emerged behind her. He had flaming red hair and freckles on his nose and seemed in equally overwhelming good mood as the woman.

"Come on guys, you cannot be serious!" He walked around the woman to place himself in front of Harry and Draco, blocking their view on the sea and wiggling his green mat at them.

The woman's expression faltered slightly.

"Ron, it's Ok"

"No, Hermione, let me talk to them. They do not know what they miss! Let me present to you the the most talented yoga teacher in the whole U.S. if not in the world: Hermione Granger!"

Draco snorted unbelievingly. The woman, Hermione, blushed and shot an angry glance at her companion.

"Ron... I have to prepare the room. So, guys, you heard him. If you change your minds, just join us, Ok?" With that she vanished, hair whipping behind her.

Unfortunately, Ron had not finished yet and as Draco had leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, he focused on Harry.

"I promise you, you will not regret this experience. Let me tell you just this: you will never have felt as great in your life as you will after this yoga session"

Harry squirmed in his chair and said: "Yeah… that's nice but we are fine, actually"

Ron only grinned. "You know what you are? Lazy. That's it. You are too lazy to get your butts up and miss this singular opportunity. But I will not let that happen and you will thank me for that". Ron only seemed to be encouraged by Harry's answer. "There is literally no excuse to miss this course. No excuse!"

"Mate, I appreciate your effort. But, see, I can't-"

"There is no 'can't', either. Get up, grab one of the mats and prepare for letting your body and mind be blown away".

The redhead extended one hand to pull Harry from the chair. In the corner of his eyes Harry could see Draco open his eyes again and tense up.

"Come on now. Ignore this lazy friend of yours and join us. What is keeping you here? There is nothing holding you back from jumping up and following me!"

"Tell that to my PT", Harry muttered under his breath, drawing a snicker from Draco who sat now on the edge of the chair, eyes fixed on Ron, eyebrows drawn close dangerously.

"Oho, I sense some tension here", Ron walked backwards with his hands in the air dramatically. He obviously had not realized what Harry had just said. "I will not touch your boyfriend, ferret, do not be afraid" he sneered at Draco, suddenly all cheerfulness lost.

Draco jumped to his feet but before he could do anything, the door through which Draco and Harry had entered opened and Martin appeared.

"Harry, five minutes until we hit the road, Ok?"

Harry pushed himself into a sitting position. He had actually forgotten to keep an eye on the time. Martin could be rather strict if it came down to the schedule he had worked out for their holiday.

"Oh, yeah, right", he mumbled.

Martin brought forth Harry's crutches.

"I think you might need them. Thomas already loaded the wheelchair in the van along with your suitcase. He left your toothbrush, though"

"Oh… er… that's great. Thanks", Harry replied, hiding a grin at the fierce enthusiasm his friends put into this whole journey. It sometimes seemed more like a race. He still had to figure out what there was to win.

"You are already leaving?" Draco asked.

Harry turned towards him. The other man seemed genuinely disappointed and Harry felt his stomach lurch when he locked eyes with him.

"We are going south again. Boston. Cape Cod", Martin explained, braking the moment.

Draco nodded, a sparkling entering his eyes. "That's a shame. You will never have a second chance to participate in the world's best yoga class ever again"

Harry's eyes drifted back to Ron. The redhead had been standing frozen to the spot at the railing of the balcony, eyes darting from Martin and the crutches to Harry. Now his face matched the colors of his hair and his mouth opened and closed without sound.

"Never mind", Harry said. He did not want this fight to continue, especially since he had the feeling that there was more between the two men then just a yoga class and some misunderstanding regarding Harry's condition. He quickly prepared for leaving, turning his upper body and pulling his legs from the deck chair, positioning his feet on the ground.

Martin did not need any instructions after the time they had spent together. He jumped forward, pushed the crutches into Draco's arms and extended his to Harry. He knew that the other man would not be able to stand up from a point as low as the deck chair, even with the help of crutches.

"On the count of three?"

With one fluid motion Martin hoisted Harry to his feet and waited until the moment of vertigo had passed for Harry, before slowly releasing his grip so that Harry could receive the crutches from Draco.

Ron had observed everything looking as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He did not say anything as Harry painfully slowly made his way past him and struggled again with the step before entering the house.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry exited his room a few minutes later, toothbrush along with toothpaste stuffed in his pocket, and closed the door with one hand on the crutch and the door handle at the same time, balancing on his right leg and left crutch. When he rounded the corner leading to the office to drop of his key and check out properly, he met Draco, leaning against the wall, obviously waiting for him.

"All ready?" the blonde asked, stepping away from the wall.

Harry nodded.

Draco accompanied him to the office, matching his pace with Harry's and opened the main doors for him after he had dropped off his key.

"Thanks", Harry murmured as he walked through. He could see Martin standing next to their car in the nearest parking lot, consulting his mobile phone. Thomas was already sitting behind the wheel. Harry turned to Draco.

"It has been nice meeting you, Draco", he said.

Draco kicked a stone over the walkway, hands in his pockets. "Maybe we can meet in Boston? I think I might come down there in a few days, to meet some friends. I could show you around. I lived for a few months in the city."

Harry felt joy rushing through him. "Yeah… That would be so great!"

Draco's face lit up. "Ok…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I see you, then", he said, giving him an unsure look.

Harry stared at him for a few seconds. "It's alright to hug me", he said, trying not to laugh out loud when Draco slightly blushed, arms dangling at his side. "Even if I might not be able to hug you back properly".

Draco grinned relieved and stepped forward to embrace Harry, making sure not to throw him off balance in the process. Harry closed his eyes for a brief moment and took in the fresh smell of Draco's hair.

Draco watched Harry from the door as he approached the van, both of Harry's friends now already inside. When Harry had reached the open sliding door at the left side of the van he tossed one crutch inside, turned and leaned against the seat to free the other crutch and put it away, too. He then grabbed the handle at the ceiling, pulled his right leg inside and pushed himself up into the car and onto the seat. It took some time until he was seated and his legs placed properly before the sliding doors closed and Thomas started the car.

Harry pulled down the window and waved at Draco who waved back from the house, grinning. Harry took one last look at the wharf and the blonde man before the van rounded a corner and both disappeared from view.

Martin turned in the passenger seat at the front.

"You got your photo camera out? Because we will have a lot of great sights today and we are stopping at each single one!"

Harry sank back in the seat and, suppressing a sigh, nodded. "Sure"


	5. Chapter 5

"Hi!"

Harry spun his wheelchair around.

"Draco! You are here…"

Draco was standing before Harry in the common room on the first floor of their hostel in Boston, grinning madly. He let his backpack plop to the ground and bent down to hug Harry.

"I'm sorry I could only make it until today", he said. "Hitchhiking wasn't very successful as the weather turned bad and I had no money to pay for a train ticket…"

Harry frowned. "You could have told me. I would have paid for your ticket, I-"

"Please… don't", Draco said. "I… would not have wanted to, you know? I am here now, the sun has been shining the whole day and we still have one evening and most of tomorrow left before your flight. We will make the time count, mate! Where is everyone, by the way?" He looked around the room that was packed with travelers relaxing on the red couches or sitting at the tables.

"Guess Thomas and Martin are still out. They went on the Freedom Trail today. I… wasn't interested." In fact Harry had spent most of the day in their shared room and in bed. One week of travelling and hours spent in the car had taken their toll. His body was rebelling against the strain he put on it and he had had to take one day off to regain some strength. He felt considerably better but his legs were still tingling and his arms felt stiff. He was tired and as much as he had wished Draco to come to Boston, he would rather not have him here this evening and see him like this.

Draco nodded slowly then motioned towards the reception. "You know what? I will first check in and then we discuss what we do this evening, ok?"

"We have a four beds room. You can join us if you want."

"I will pay, of course", Draco insisted.

Harry shrugged. "If you want to…"

Draco nodded. "Yes, sounds good to me."

"You wanna put this thing up in the room?" Harry asked, patting the gigantic backpack.

Draco laughed. "I would be grateful to be rid of it."

Harry led the way towards a glass door behind which the actual hostel began. Trespassing was only possible for those who had a guest card. Harry struggled with fishing the card out of his pocket and inserting it into the designated slot, his hands feeling like wrapped into at least three layers of thick gloves and his fingers trembling slightly. As Draco held open the door after it had unlocked and Harry wheeled through he could feel his questioning gaze lingering on him.

Draco called the elevator and when it arrived and they had entered, Harry cleared his throat, putting a fist down on the button for the fifth floor. "This…" he said, staring at his hands in his lap, "is one of the less good days." He opened and closed his fingers into fists again, trying to prevent them from shaking. "I'm sorry". Harry's head flew up when two tanned hands covered his own, steadying them for a moment.

"You have nothing to apologize for", Draco said. His grey eyes locked with Harry's. Harry could smell his hair.

"Hey, are you guys going up or down?"

Harry removed his hands from under Draco's and turned the chair towards the doors of the elevator.

"We are exiting here", he told the girl that had just entered the elevator. Draco hesitated for a split second before he shouldered his backpack again and followed.

Draco let the backpack fall on the fourth and free bed in the room and sat down on the mattress. "Do you want to go out eating something? Because if you don't want-"

"No… it's Ok", Harry said, staring out of the window. During these milder episodes he usually stayed inside his apartment. He did not answer the phone or the door and curled up in his bed, waiting for it to be over. He certainly was not eager to go out, especially not for dinner. But he wanted to spent time with Draco, too.

"Have you eaten anything today? Like… at all?" Draco inquired, interrupting Harry's thoughts.

Harry shook his head. At his apartment he was prepared for times like this. Canned soup could be heated up without much effort. And if spoons prove to be too much of a challenge, there were also straws… Here, he had had a piece of plain toast in the morning.

Draco jumped up from the bed. "It is decided then! Let's go. Do you need anything?"

Harry snatched his jacket from his bed. "I'm ready. Where are we going?"

Draco grinned. "You will see", he said.

Harry was not very much in the mood for surprise but he followed Draco out on the street nevertheless. Draco offered to push the wheelchair but Harry turned him down. He knew he was being stubborn but he wanted no help at something he felt he still could do, even if his arms and his back protested when he pushed himself behind Draco on the narrow walkway.

Fortunately and to Harry's surprise their journey ended only five minutes away from the hostel.

"Burritos?" Harry asked.

"You don't like burritos?"

"I do like them…" Harry said, hesitantly.

Draco put his hands in his pockets. "You know… I thought, since you eat burritos with your hands… no cutlery involved… would be a good idea. Plus, it's close to the hostel and in my opinion they make the best Burrito in the whole city of Boston. So… but if you don't want it's OK"

Harry considered this for a while. Draco had a point there. Burritos sounded like a good choice for someone with as much feeling and fine motor control in his hands as the Hulk. As Draco opened the door to the small bar and the familiar smell of burritos reached Harry, his stomach growled and made the decision for him. At least he could try it, he thought.

They ordered and Draco collected the fresh burritos from the end of the counter, insisting on paying. They settled down on a table in one corner of the room. Draco unwrapped the upper half of his burrito and with a quick glance at Harry completely unwrapped the other one. Harry resisted scowling at Draco as he received the steaming roll.

After a few bites, however, he had to admit that burritos had been in fact not the worst idea. The days of canned soup seemed to be counted. As both ate in silence, Harry felt his spirits rise a little. Maybe this evening would not be all too crappy, after all.


	6. Chapter 6

On their way back to the hostel Draco had convinced Harry to get a look into one of the bars at the street.

"Come on, Harry! Just a few minutes? I haven't been here for such a long time…"

So Harry had sighed and followed Draco inside only to stop dead after the door had closed behind him. The bar was overcrowded. People were standing and sitting around everywhere, the noise of talking and glasses banging against each other was overwhelming. From his low position he could not even see most parts of the small room. Someone bumped into him from behind, an apology was uttered above his head. People around him were beginning to stare. Harry would have turned on the spot and left if Draco had not already disappeared into the crowd. He swore under his breath and reinforced the grip around the metal handrims at the wheels of his chair, maneuvering around tables and people stepping into his way.

"There you are!" Draco suddenly appeared at his side, looking alarmed. "I am so sorry, Harry."

Harry shrugged, annoyed. It was not the first time he had been lost inside a crowd.

"Let's leave, Ok? We can have a nice evening at the hostel, too, right? There is no free place here, anyways", Draco pleaded.

"There are places over there." The crowd had parted for a moment and Harry nodded towards the counter.

Draco hesitated. "Yeah…"

But Harry had already turned and wheeled towards the spindly bar stools in front of the high counter, feeling strangely reckless in his anger. Draco followed in a hurry.

"You sure you want to do this… I mean… er…" he stuttered, being completely ignored by Harry who had spun the wheelchair around next to one of the bar stools, put the breaks in and removed his feet from the feet rest.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Harry asked. His green eyes shot sparks at Draco and his lips were set in grim determination.

"Er… what do you want me to do?" Draco asked nervously

"I'm afraid this will be a bit more complicated than last time…" Harry said and prodded the bar stool experimentally. At least it seemed to be a heavy one that was standing firm on the ground. He motioned Draco closer.

"The seating of the stool is too high to just let me slide on it. I need to get one hand on the counter and one on the stool. Then I will be able to push me onto it. Your job is to keep me standing up until that because I don't trust my legs much right now. Ok?"

Draco nodded. "Piece of cake", he murmured and bent down upon a signal from Harry, so that Harry could wrap his arms around his neck.

"You can grab my belt", Harry ordered.

Draco nodded. Some of his hair had fallen into his face and a curl tickled Harry's nose.

"Ready?"

Draco lifted Harry into a standing position and turned him slightly so that he was with his back to the stool. Harry found that his legs were indeed more cooperative than anticipated. He disentangled his arms and managed to push himself onto the bar stool. Draco cheered at him. "You made it!"

"Any concerns?" Harry laughed but could not hide that he was a little relieved, too. "You can release me now, by the way. The eagle has landed."

Draco blushed slightly and let go of Harry's waist.

"We should have a drink on this", Harry said.

"Indeed. The Samuel Adams Boston Lager is fant-"

"What?"

"I'm sorry. No alcohol for you, I assume"

Harry shrugged. "Yeah… although if you want to get me drunk, one bottle of beer would certainly do it right now. But… you are right, rather no alcohol for me. Although it helps with the pain, temporarily"

Draco didn't say anything and settled down on the other stool to Harry's left. As Harry studied the menu written on a chalkboard behind the counter he felt Draco scowl at him from the side.

"What?"

"You never told me you were in pain."

"Didn't think it was important."

"Woah, come on. If I had known I would never have-"

"Taken me out? Come to Boston? Draco, _this_ is my life. I'm in pain more often than not. Trust me, this is nothing new to me. But it is also _my_ life, you understand? _I_ decide what to do and when to stop. I can take care of myself and I know best when to slow down and when to go on, OK?"

Draco stared at him, slightly taken aback. "I got you", he said.

They sat in silence for some time. Then-

"I'm sorry!" – "I'm sorry!"

They both broke out in laughter.

Draco shook his head. "You first"

Harry rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry for being all cranky tonight. You don't deserve that" He looked up.

Draco smiled. "I'm sorry for trying to make decisions for you."

Harry reached over and squeezed his arm. "I am really glad that you managed to come to Boston."

Draco patted his hand. At this moment the barkeeper arrived in front of them on the other side of the counter.

"What can I get you two?"

"Er… Samuel Adams Boston Lager and… a coke."

The barkeeper beamed at them and vanished.

Draco cleared his throat but Harry gave him a stern look: "And that was another decision _I_ made. I can totally stand it if you have a beer while I don't have alcohol"

Draco looked at him sheepishly and sighed. "Yeah… I got you. I do!"


	7. Chapter 7

While they waited for their drinks to arrive, Harry let his eyes wander over the heads of the people who filled the small room. From the insight the bar was rather shabby, with yellowed pictures and blind mirrors at the walls. Most customers however were around their age. Harry paused and looked closer at some of the couples. Had Draco taken him into… a gay bar?

Draco, who had observed Harry's reaction, chuckled. "It's not what it seems. At least not officially. This neighborhood has some kind of reputation. I used to come here often with… friends from college."

"Oh. Which college?" Harry asked. Draco's slight hesitation had not escaped his attention, however.

Draco sighed. "Harvard"

"No kidding! You were at Harvard? What was your major?" Excited, Harry leaned closer towards Draco to get every word over the noise.

"Economics. But you can calm down now, I never graduated. I dropped out before that."

Harry lifted his arms in mock exasperation. "Why would you do that?"

Draco shrugged. "I guess I found that I just didn't want to study economics anymore."

"What did you do instead?"

"I had a short encounter with arts and agriculture. Then I went to India and lived in an ecovillage for some years." Draco said, grinning.

"India? An ecovillage? Man, you are totally crazy", Harry laughed and Draco joined in.

Their drinks arrived and Draco thanked the barkeeper, took his beer and placed Harry's coke in front of him. "It was actually a good experience", he said.

"I bet it was", Harry shook his head unbelievingly. He raised his glass. "To crazy life decisions?"

Draco's glass met Harry's. "May they never end."

They drank.

Draco placed his beer on the table again and licked froth from his lips. His features grew dark. "My father wasn't delighted, however. He didn't take it very well that his only son didn't even achieve a bachelor's degree." He stared at the golden liquid swaying in the glass.

Harry took another sip of his coke and chose not to inquire further. He had been thinking about something else since the incident some days ago. "This guy at The Inn on the Wharf… Ron? Did you know him from somewhere before?"

Draco's grey eyes narrowed. "Ron! Yes… I actually met him here, in Boston, years ago. He studied at the MIT. Some engineering stuff. I suppose he graduated, though." He tried to sound unconcerned but his knuckles around the beer glass turned white.

"Poor guy, I think I shocked him to death", Harry chuckled, eyeing Draco from the side.

The blonde snorted. "Serves him right. He is such a git!"

"You are really angry."

"Yeah… guess we just never got along. He hated me from the first minute on. Because of my father. Because of who I am or what I had. He could be _so_ jealous."

Harry raised an eyebrow but Draco seemed too deep in gloomy thoughts to notice. Harry jumped as his mobile phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Seems Thomas and Martin are back at the hostel."

Draco looked up. "They can join us, if they want."

"I'll tell them. And… Martin reminds me that we will have to get up early tomorrow to catch the boat."

"What boat?"

"We want to do whale watching. It really sounds amazing. Guess what, I have never seen whales! You want to come with us?"

Draco scratched his head. "Uh… I don't think I can afford this right now…"

Harry set down his glass. "Don't worry about that. I'll pay for your ticket!"

Draco looked downright shocked at the thought. "No, please… It's fine. I will walk around the city until you are back from the tour. It's going to be fun..."

"OK… Then… I'm going to stay with you."

"No, Harry, don't. I can see this is important for you. And I heard it is actually really amazing."

Harry sighed. "It is more important for me to spend the day with you."

Draco's nearly choked on his beer. "R… really?"

"Yes, really", Harry said, trying not to sound amused at Draco's reaction. "And can you please just forget about the money or pride or whatever? If paying for your ticket is all I have to do to be with you, I would _love_ to do it."

Harry's green eyes searched for Draco's. When the blonde met his gaze he found that he had actually held his breath.

"OK… but I owe you", Draco said, nodding.

Harry beamed at him relieved. "You can pay your debt by helping me down from this ridiculous bar stool later", he said.


	8. Chapter 8

Harry woke up with a gasp. He felt a rush of panic as he could not make out at once where he was. But then his eyes adjusted to the moonlit room. This was the hostel in Boston - and he was not alone in here. From his bed nearest to the entrance he could see Martin splayed over the bed next to him. His blanket had nearly fully slipped onto the floor. In the back of the room Draco was hidden under a heap of blankets in the bottom bed of the bunk, only some hair was visible, nearly white in the moonlight. Thomas snored in the top.

Harry tried to wiggle into a more comfortable position when another wave of cramps hit him. He bit into his fist to muffle a cry and tried to locate his wheelchair. There it was, standing close to the other end of his bed, where he had possibly left it the other night. Moonlight reflected cold on the metal handrims. Harry pushed himself up and hissed through clenched teeth when the pain in his legs intensified. He dragged himself to the end of the bed and pulled the wheelchair closer, ramming the brakes in. As he transferred, his left leg ignited. Tears streamed down his face and blurred his vision as he fiddled with the brakes.

Harry jumped as warm hands gripped his. Through the tears he could make out a disheveled Draco, wearing nothing but shorts, kneeling in front of him. His grey eyes were wide with shock and concern.

"Harry! What is it?! Can… can I do anything?" he whispered. His pillow had left an imprint on his right cheek.

"…Get me out of here."

Draco did not need to be asked twice. He hurriedly removed the brakes and pushed Harry out of the room, closing the door silently behind them.

The neon lights in the corridor lit up and illuminated the concrete walls. Draco pushed Harry past several identical looking doors behind which other travelers slept, his naked feet slapping on the floor. When they arrived in the common area in front of the lifts Harry let out a cry of pain he felt unable to contain anymore and doubled over in the chair. Draco stopped at once and hastily crouched down in front of him.

"Harry?"

Harry drew in a ragged breath and sat up again, pressing the palm of his hands in his left thigh. His left leg was jittering up and down on the feet rest now, rocking the whole chair. Harry grunted but did not dare to speak, for everything he wanted to say would just come out as a cry.

Draco's eyes flew around the corridor as if searching for help. Then he jumped up again and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"Harry? Look at me!"

Harry forced himself to focus his eyes on him. Draco's were huge with fear but a determined edge grew around his mouth.

"Harry, can you see me breathing?"

Harry's eyes flickered towards his bare chest and back to his face.

Draco nodded in encouragement. "Ok, breathe with me, Harry." He gently pried away Harry's hands on his thigh. "Breathe!" he ordered when Harry gasped as Draco dug his fingers into the spasming muscle.

Harry tried to concentrate on Draco, locking his eyes with him as the blonde worked on massaging his leg without ever breaking eye contact. After half a minute he felt the blinding pain recede and be replaced by the sharp aching Draco's fingers inflicted. He drew an easier, although shaky breath and sagged in the chair. His leg had stopped moving up and down. Draco's fingers continued massaging his thigh until it felt as if Harry had no muscles or bones anywhere in his left leg. When Draco removed his hands, the pain was gone.

Draco slumped down on the floor, chest heaving. Harry dabbed sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his pajamas. Neither spoke until both had caught their breaths. The neon lights were buzzing above their heads.

"How do you feel?"

Harry changed position in his chair and sat up straighter. "Better. Tired" His voice sounded hoarse.

Draco smiled crookedly and checked his watch. "What a surprise at… 5 in the morning"

"Where have you learned to give massages like this?" Harry asked. Draco's treatment had not been less effective than what Harry's physical therapist did.

"In India. Theres was this guy-" He stopped when Harry grunted and grinned mischievously. "Oh yeah, he was very talented with his hands."

Harry rolled his eyes and managed something like a smile.

"Back to bed?" Draco asked.

Harry shook his head. "Won't be very efficient. We have to be up in one hour anyway"

"So…" Draco began. "The sun will rise soon. What about going to the harbor and having some breakfast?"

"Sounds nice. I'd like to shower before, though. And we can't go like this. You are practically naked"

Draco smirked at him. "I had thought you'd like that" He jumped up and stretched, yawning. Harry found himself unable to look away. "OK, how about I sneak back into our room and get our things. We both have a shower and dress properly. If we hurry a little bit we can make it before sunrise"

"I like that", Harry said as he propelled himself towards their room, his eyes trained on Draco's arse in his shorts before him.


	9. Chapter 9

The air was already moist and growing hotter with every minute. Although Harry had tried his best, taking a shower, changing and coming here by metro had taken longer than they had anticipated. The first rays of sunlight danced on the waters of the Charles River as Draco sat down on a bench under a tree that provided at least some shelter. Harry stopped the wheelchair close to the bench and transferred easily. His left leg still felt wobbly after Draco's treatment, but the pain was gone completely.

Draco passed him a cup of tea and a muffin they had bought on their way. "How are you feeling?"

"Better", Harry said, taking a bite, suddenly feeling awfully hungry. "Actually, not bad at all."

They watched a small sailing boat cross the river.

"Are you looking forward to going home again?" Draco asked, stirring his hot coffee.

"It's kind of good that I'm going back tomorrow", Harry replied. "I think I need some days of real rest. The last two weeks were great but… definitely stressful. I… normally don't have to rely on this-", Harry gave the wheelchair next to him a kick. "I only use it at home and for longer distances. It's kind of growing into a habit here, though, and that is a little disturbing."

Draco nodded. "Hm… I just wish, you could stay longer", he mumbled into his muffin.

"It's not the only reason I'm going back. There is a lot of work waiting for me, too."

Draco did not reply to that. They ate in silence.

"How often do you get these cramps?" Draco asked.

Harry shrugged and crushed the empty wrapping of his muffin in his palm. "Every other night, roughly."

"Can't you do anything against it?"

"Well, warmth usually helps me. I have heat packs at home. Taking a hot bath before sleeping, regular exercises, massages of course. Normally cramps last a few minutes before I go to sleep again or I give up and get up early."

The small sailing ship tried to turn towards the wind and tilted dangerously in the process.

"This one was unusually intense. It's not always like that," Harry added.

Draco snickered as the people on the boat hastily scrambled to one side to keep it from turning over. "So… this was not a relapse then," he said, taking a sip of his plastic coffee cup, trying to sound casual.

Harry nearly spilled the rest of his tea on his shirt. "Are you crazy? No! Trust me, we would both know if it had been an attack or a relapse or anything. For once, it would be long from over now. A relapse takes days, sometimes weeks. Plus it's much, much more severe, at least in my case. I usually spend part of it at the hospital."

Draco did not respond. Instead, he took Harry's and his wrappings and empty cups to the trash can nearby. Harry watched how a motorboat caught up with the little sailing boat. Ropes were thrown to the sailing boat and the people on it hurried to fix them somewhere at the rail.

When Draco returned he looked upset. His hair had dried within minutes in the warm wind on their way to the park and was flying wild around his head now. His eyes seemed darker. Harry felt guilty at once. He should not have laughed about his idea of a relapse. Although it did not feel like that, they had only met a few days ago. He could not expect him to know everything. Before he could open his mouth to apologize, however, Draco had stormed past him.

"Draco?" Harry quickly transferred back into the wheelchair and followed the blonde. He cursed as the small patch of grass between the bench and the walkway slowed him down. When he had pavement under the wheels again, Draco had already disappeared around the next bend. A little later, Harry found him a few hundred meters further down the walkway, sitting at the water's edge and throwing stones into the water.

Harry wheeled as close to the edge as he dared. "Draco?" When the other man did not react he let himself slide off the seat and onto the ground next to him. Draco only paused shortly in throwing stones to give him a quick side glance. He looked as if he might have been crying but the vigor with which he tossed the stones into the water suggested that he was also still angry.

"I am sorry, Draco", Harry said when he had settled down next to Draco, legs dangling from the edge as well.

Draco continued throwing stones into the water. "There – is – nothing – to – apologize – for", he grunted, throwing a stone at every word until there were no more left in his lap. Then he stared at the water ripples forming and intersecting.

"It's… I don't know. It just feels so unfair!" he whispered. "When I think that the… thing last night happens every other night… even if you say it's not always as bad… that just makes me so… unbelievably angry!" He kicked with the heels of his shoes against the stone wall they were sitting on. "And to think it might be even worse during a relapse… I could not even imagine how that would be. It's just…"

He turned to Harry, his eyes were dry but his lower lip quivered. "I felt so helpless last night."

Harry shook his head, dazed. "But you were not helpless at all."

Draco dug his fingernails into the dirt. "I wished so much I could do something… anything. Seeing you… I wanted to take all that pain from you and put it on me. I wished I could _be_ you just to give you some rest." His voice was barely audible anymore.

Harry did not know what to reply. He had not anticipated this outburst. As the motorboat from before came around the river bend, sailing ship in tow, Harry's fingers somehow met Draco's on the ground. He squeezed his hand. "I know how you feel. I am very glad that you were there for me last night."

Draco squeezed back. "I am a light sleeper. And I only did what I could."

Harry hoped he heard the hint of a smile in Draco's voice. "You worked magic."

The corners of Draco's mouth finally turned up a little. "I wish I could."

They continued holding hands while the small sailing boat was pulled around the next river bend and did not let go for a long time.


	10. Chapter 10

Martin was practically jumping up and down in front of the whale watching boat as Draco and Harry approached. Thomas was just looking a little tense, as always.

"Can we walk slower?" Draco asked out of the corner of his mouth, giving Harry a wink as he looked up at him, surprised. "I would love to see how long it takes until he explodes."

Harry chuckled but shook his head. "You definitely don't want to clean up the mess."

"Hurry up, guys, we want to be on board before the school kids do, don't we? The best places will be gone, soon," Martin shouted as soon as they were close enough, waving his arms at them and indicating a bunch of children hanging around.

Draco sighed. "May I?"

"Of course." Harry let go of the handrims and Draco stepped behind him to push the chair, starting to jog.

Thomas smiled at them when they arrived and Martin swung a plastic bag, beaming.

"We have sandwiches for everyone!"

"Great, thanks!" Harry said.

"Ready to go on board?"

Martin handed their tickets to a young guy with a whale on his shirt. He gave them a fleeting look before admitting them. Thomas was quicker this time and pushed Harry up the narrow gangway that connected the landing stage with the deck.

They settled down in the first row at the front of the ship. Harry did not bother with transferring because the plastic benches looked quite uncomfortable. He wheeled closer to the railing and tried to get a look at the harbor. From his low position, however, he could not see much through the gaps between the massive railing and the handrails. Martin and Thomas at once occupied the places at the very front.

The ship soon filled with people. The teens tried to beat each other for the best position in a group photo while the younger kids ran around and yelled excited. The bustling intensified as the engines started and the boat exited the harbor. Harry had maneuvered back to the front row and put on the breaks as soon as the boat had started to quiver. Draco was stretched on the bench next to him, his head in his folded hands, cap over his eyes, apparently completely unfazed by the hustle around him.

Thankfully, as soon as the ship had left the harbor, most people decided that watching the blank sea was boring and returned to snacks and drinks in the inside of the ship. Thomas and Martin had defended their position on the front railing throughout the whole commotion. Draco seemed to have slept through the hectic. He did not stir until Thomas and Martin yelled at them excitedly.

"Didyaseeannnything?" Draco mumbled, sleepy.

"There might have been a whale at the horizon. Thomas thinks he has seen the blow," Martin explained.

Harry wheeled to the front railing, accompanied by Draco, and squinted through the gap between the handrails.

"Hmm… no whales as I see it", Draco murmured and returned to his bench. Harry stayed, eyes fixed on the horizon as the engine noise suddenly died away abruptly and the speakers of the whale watching ship blared to life.

"Attention everyone, there is a whale in front of us!"

As on signal the deck was flooded with people, swallowing whatever they had been about to eat and swinging cameras above their heads.

Thomas, Martin and Harry let out a gasp simultaneously as a grey mass raised out of the water directly in front of them. Harry could not make out anything more except that it was _big _before it filled out completely the small rectangle through which he could see. He put in the breaks and grabbed the highest handrail, heaving himself up on his feet. Swaying slightly he found himself staring at meters of meters of whale, submerging now under the boat. If the railing had been just a little lower, he could have touched the animal. A split second he caught sight of the eye, pitch black, looking back at him calmly and his breath hitched. At last the whale raised its huge tail into the air, splashing the water surface before vanishing in a twirl of foaming water. Harry leaned a little more over the railing. The shape of the whale, unbelievably big, was still visible under the water for a heartbeat before it was gone.

Harry shivered despite the heat. He only surfaced to his surroundings as the other passengers around him cheered and the ship engines were turned on again, humming. He blinked and clang to the handrail the next second as the ground suddenly started to move under his feet, the ship gaining speed to catch up with the whale.

"That was awesome," a voice breathed into Harry's ear and strong arms closed around him, steadying him. Harry relaxed his grip around the handrail and leaned into Draco, nodding relieved. The long hair of the other man was swept into his face as the head wind intensified.

"They are so… enormous…" Draco pushed his hair back with one hand, supporting Harry easily with the other.

"Yeah… buoyancy makes a lot possible. Plus, it's beneficial to have a low ratio of surface area to body volume if you are a warm-blooded mammal living in preferably cold waters."

"The scientist is speaking." Harry could feel Draco's smile on his neck and realized how close they were standing to each other. He did not pull back, however. If it was possible, he leaned even more into Draco, closing the last gaps between their bodies.

"There are more over there!"

The shouts and general renewing commotion in the crowd brought both men back to reality. Harry craned his neck to see past the other passengers standing at the railing next to him. The whales came into view when the ship made a slight turn to the left and the engine was turned down again.

"Three of them," Draco whispered. He had not loosened his grip on Harry nor increased the distance between them. Harry felt a shiver run through his body as Draco's warm breath tickled his cheek.

Two whales were floating at the surface, occasionally letting out a spray with a humanly sigh that went through bones. Suddenly, accompanied by a collective cheer from the crowd, a third and smaller one shot through the water surface. The still impressively large body screwed itself unbelievably high into the air, until nearly two third of the whale were visible before it crashed down, sending splashes in all directions.

"It's a baby!" Harry grinned. "A little whale kid!"

Draco chuckled. "It's probably annoying as hell. Imagine his parents telling it to behave in front of other people. 'They are already staring at us!'"

Harry laughed about that picture so hard it drove tears to his eyes.

The small whale kid kept jumping into the air, the boat following the family until they all dived together and did not surface near the boat again. They were however not the only whales that showed itself during the trip. For nearly one hour the ship chased down whale after whale, some of them feeding, surrounded by flocks of birds. People hurried from one side of the boat to the other to get the best view and shoot the best photo. When the boat was finally brought about and the speakers announced the return to the harbor, Harry could not believe that he had been standing up the whole time, albeit supported by Draco.

As on cue he felt his legs wanting to give out under him and fatigue leaping at him as if it had only been hiding behind his back all the time. His wheelchair had been rescued from the crowd by Martin who had put it away in the back between the benches.

"You tired?" Draco had grasped the situation at once and more carried him to the bench than anything else. He let him down carefully and joined the bench next to him, so that Harry could lean against him much as before.

"How do you feel?"

"Good", Harry mumbled, grasping the fabric of his pants to pull his legs on the bench. "That was the… most amazing thing I have ever seen." He realized he was slurring but he found to his own surprise that he did not care.

Draco buried his nose in his neck. "I totally agree with that."

Harry smiled contented and slightly squeezed one of Draco's arms that were loosely wrapped around him. He rested his head onto Draco's shoulder, eyelids growing heavier with every second. A moment later Martin and Thomas came back from their top places at the railing, big happy grins plastered on their faces. Martin winked at Harry when he perceived the two cuddling on the bench and Thomas gave him a thumps up as Draco was looking into a different direction. Harry wanted to protest but before he could even open his mouth sleep surrounded him with blackness.


	11. Chapter 11

"Why is this taking so long?" Martin seemed on the edge of a breakdown.

Thomas shrugged. "From my experience, baggage drop-off always takes forever if you are late for the plane."

Martin hopped from one foot to the other, scanning the queue in front of them. "Do you think they are all on our plane?"

"I don't think so." Thomas supplied, looking at his watch for the hundredth time. "Boarding is in 40 minutes."

Martin groaned. "We shouldn't have gone to this restaurant, it took too long."

"Calm down guys, I'm sure you will make it. Boarding is nearly always rescheduled, so don't worry." Draco pulled Harry's bag a few feet forward.

Harry threw him a grateful look. At least someone managed to think rationally during the hectic. Harry was not concerned with them missing the plane because it would take them too long to drop off their baggage. He had his own worries, however. He tapped a nervous rhythm on the handrims while the queue moved forward again.

"The wheelchair goes with the baggage?" A woman with make-up plastered face leaned over the counter to look down at Harry. They had finally made it to the front of the queue and Draco had accompanied Harry, pulling his bag and carrying his crutches.

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "I made reservations for a transport wheelchair yesterday."

The head of the attendant disappeared for a few seconds as she looked something up in her computer.

"Yes, I have the confirmation here." The woman looked down at him again. "You did not book an aisle wheelchair, is that right?"

Harry nodded.

"I have to ask you to wait over there." The woman indicated a few seats at the side of the check-in counters. "The transport wheelchair should be here any minute."

Harry and Draco exchanged a look of concern.

"Boarding will be in 30 minutes," Draco told the attendant.

"I'm really sorry for the inconvenience. The wheelchair is on its way."

Harry sighed and motioned for the crutches. "I'll drop off my own wheelchair right now," he told the attendant. "Making sure at least one part is on the plane when it takes off," he murmured to Draco, heaving himself up on the crutches.

Draco collapsed the chair following Harry's instructions and handed it over to the attendant who took its weight before sticking tags on the various parts.

"It's going with the bulky luggage," Harry explained to Draco who frowned when the wheelchair was not placed on the conveyor band but stored behind the counter.

"That's right," the attendant flashed them a fake smile. "I wish you a good flight."

Draco and Harry slowly made their way towards the seats the attendant had shown them.

"What is an aisle wheelchair?" Draco asked as soon as they had sat down.

"Some kind of very small wheelchair that fits into the narrow aisle inside of airplanes. It's used on board of a plane and for boarding," Harry answered, tapping the crutches on the floor. "I made sure there will be a jet bridge. So… no stairs. I'm Ok with crutches during the flight."

"Hey guys, are you ready? Where is the wheelchair?" Martin and Thomas had finished dropping off their baggage, too.

"We were told it will be here any minute," Draco said.

The hall around them was swarming with people but no wheelchair was in sight, so far.

"This is bad, really bad," Martin said, fiddling with his ticket. "Have you seen the queue for security checkup? It will take ages. We can really not afford to wait any longer. Can't you just use the crutches, Harry?"

Harry considered the queue in front of the security checkup that had already wound its way into the hall and thought about the walk to the gate. He did not even know the distance.

"No, I'm sorry, that won't be working." Draco next to him nodded his head in consent. "But you really don't have to wait with me here. Please, get in the queue for security checkup. Draco will wait with me and I will catch up with you later," Harry added.

Martin bit his lip but Thomas shook his head, resolutely. "No way. Either everyone goes or we all stay here."

Harry felt a sudden rush of affection for him.

Martin jumped up, seemingly unable to sit around doing nothing. "Then let us at least search for a post box until the wheelchair arrives. We still haven't had the opportunity to send our postcards."

Thomas nodded. "Call us as soon as the wheelchair is here, Harry."

"I will go this way, Thomas you take that one. We call each other as soon as someone finds the postbox _or_ the wheelchair arrives." With that Martin disappeared and Thomas followed his command and took the other direction.

Draco sighed. "How did you put up with these guys all the time?" he asked.

"They are actually not that bad," Harry said, grinning despite himself.

They sat in silence for some time.

"I assume I am supposed to say something sappy for a last goodbye now…" Draco said, shifting in his seat.

"Hm..." Harry's eyes wandered from the crowd to Draco. The other man was looking at him with sad grey eyes.

"We can still keep in touch, right? And as soon as possible I will come visit you," the blond said.

Harry nodded and stared at his hands that were wrapped around the handle of his crutches. He was still fighting with himself when a voice piped up to their left.

"Anybody needs a wheelchair here?!"


	12. Chapter 12

Harry changed position in the transport wheelchair and took a look back at the end of the queue where he imagined he could still see Draco's white blond hair glowing among the crowd.

"I think we can actually make it," Martin said, considerably relaxing now. "The queue has really moved fast."

Harry nodded absentmindedly. He realized Thomas was observing him.

"Are you Ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Harry lied, gripping the handrims tighter. The wheelchair was a few sizes too big for him and it was uncomfortable to propel himself forward but it would suffice to get to the gate.

Thomas crouched down in front of him, trying to look him into the eyes. "Cheer up, Harry. He is not gone forever. Maybe you will see him next year, right?"

"Hm…"

"You told him that you will be at the east coast again, didn't you?"

When Harry did not answer Martin joined the conversation. "You didn't tell him."

Thomas raised his eyebrows in surprise. "But Harry… why?"

Harry wheeled away from the two as far as he could without bumping into the passengers waiting in queue behind them. "It's still not clear if all goes according to plan. I… don't think it would have been fair to tell him now. I did not want to get his hopes up high unless it's not happening. And even if it is it could be _one year_!"

Martin shook his head angrily. "I have never heard anything this stupid!" he cried out.

Thomas narrowed his eyes. "You did not want him to wait for you," he stated.

Harry shrugged, unwilling to show how close Thomas had hit the truth.

"I think it should have been his decision, Harry," Thomas said, standing up again when the queue moved.

Harry snorted when he propelled himself forward, furiously. "And you think he would have told the truth, right into my face? That he was not willing to wait one year for a… cripple?!"

Harry was shocked by his own words and an uncomfortable silence settled over them, joined by bystanders who had not missed Harry's outbreak.

"That's not how he thinks of you Harry. Neither do we," Thomas finally said in a low voice.

Martin sighed exasperated. "I don't believe you, Harry! He is into you like… totally lovesick! I would kill for a girl to fall for me like that!"

Harry hung his head to hide his blush. "I _will_ tell him, I promise. Don't you go and tell him anything before I do. Please?" he added.

Thomas nodded but Martin stared at him for a few seconds before giving his consent. "Ok, but if you don't tell him within one month I will do," he said, daring Harry to object.

Harry ground his teeth but had to give in eventually. "It's a deal."

Harry had to wait on a bench behind a curtain for manual check-up while the transport wheelchair was X-rayed. Through a gap in the curtain he could see Martin and Thomas going through the full body scan. Thomas looked worried as he approached the machine and froze under the scanner immediately. He left with a relieved smile; walking quickly as if afraid the machine might change his mind. Martin followed and his eyes filled with joy when he was bid to raise his hands. He bounced on his way out and called out for Thomas. Both men waited a few meters away.

As he observed the two, clutching their freshly x-rayed backpacks, flight tickets and passports, Harry felt warmth spread in his chest. He was leaving without knowing when he will return and whether Draco will still be there for him. But he knew that whatever happened, he was not going alone. When the security officer had finished the patdown, Harry was allowed to transfer into the transport wheelchair again and exit the examination chamber. He grinned as he approached Thomas and Martin. "Time to go home!"


	13. Author's note

First of all: thank you for reading this story! I very much appreciate your comments.

This story is purely fictitious. I tried to get as close to the book characters as possible. Draco turned out more than just slightly OOC, I apologize for that but I am also of the opinion that Harry/Draco would not work otherwise.

There are a few obvious exceptions to the fictional character of this story. Thank you Martin, this trip would not have been half as great without you! Thank you also to Thomas, you are a true friend. I apologize to everyone not mentioned in this story. When three people make a crowd, I don't know what six do… you are all amazing.

This story has a soundtrack I want to share with you:

Check out Thirteen Senses - Home (all of their songs, actually, but this one is like a main title to the story).

And of course Imagine Dragons.


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